Visayas top drug suspect clams up, is flown back to Cebu by NBI

Cebu’s top drug trafficking suspect Alvaro “Barok” Direcho Alvaro. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA — Visayas’ top drug suspect Alvaro Direcho Alvaro has been sent back to Cebu after a 12-hour stay in Manila since his arrest last Tuesday, an official of the National Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday.

Saying he “would be killed anyway,” the drug suspect, known as Barok, remained tight-lipped about his alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade, NBI lawyer Joel Tovera said on Wednesday.

Alvaro also declined to confirm if government or police officials served as protectors for him and his boss Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz, Tovera said.

Las Piñas policemen killed Jaguar after he announced over the radio that he wanted to surrender.

Tovera, chief of the the NBI’s anti-illegal drug division, said Alvaro arrived at NBI headquarters Tuesday midnight.

Before that, he surrendered in Danao, Cebu, to agents of NBI-Bohol, who thought it necessary to bring him to Manila after cops kept calling NBI’s office in Cebu.

“Alvaro feared for his life and NBI agents thought it would be safer if they extract information from him in Manila,” Tovera said.

In Manila, however, Alvaro denied knowing any of the protectors of drug syndicates in the Visayas. He declined to give any information, and said the last time he saw Diaz was two years ago.

Tovera said that after Alvaro refused to give a clear testimony, they opted to send him back to Cebu, where he was ordered arrested for selling illegal drugs.

Tovera said NBI agents put Alvaro on a 4 p.m. flight back to Cebu.

He will be presented to Branch 53 of the Danao regional trial court, which issued warrants of arrest for him for several drug-related cases, according to Tovera.  The court will determine where Alvaro will be detained.  SFM